Where the Bullet Lies
by CimmerianWolf
Summary: Loosely based on the Modern Warfare series. Simon "Ghost" Riley finds himself falling for the One-Four-One's newest sniper, Lindsey "Burden" Lovat during the conflict with the Ultranationalist Russian rebels and Middle Eastern rebel faction.
1. Chapter 1

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 1**

"Ghost. GHOST!" John "Soap" MacTavish bellowed when he saw Ghost sleeping.

"Huh? I'm awake, I'm awake," Simon "Ghost" Riley replied groggily while swinging out of his cot.

"General Shepherd needs us in the briefing tent in 15 minutes, Ghost. Run to the head if you need to. I get the feeling we're not getting many breaks today," Soap guessed.

"Alright, mate. What time is it, anyway?" Ghost asked while rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Soap parted the tent flaps. "0200. Have to go wake up Roach, now. He'll be hell to deal with since I'm interrupting his beauty sleep," he replied over his shoulder and walked out.

Ghost grinned and put on his utility pants and boots.

"Roach can be worse than a teenage girl when he gets less than 4 hours of sleep, but who can blame him," he thought.

Ghost put on a white shirt and grey hoodie, grabbed his balaclava, tucked it into his back pocket, then put his red-tinted sunglasses on the collar of his shirt. Parting the tent flaps and taking a step outside, he ran his fingers through his dark brown hair, observing the Middle Eastern scenery, then the activity on Camp Sierra. Even though it was 0200, the base was busy with men and women under the floodlights maintaining the Humvees, exercising, shooting at the range, and even just hanging out playing cards.

"The city that never sleeps," Ghost said absentmindedly.

He felt a slap on his back, jolting him out of his recluse.

"Isn't it a fine and wonderful morning!" declared a rather chipper Gary "Roach" Sanderson.

"Well, aren't you happy this morning," Ghost observed.

"Got lucky last night," winked a grinning Roach.

"My condolences to your hand," Ghost replied, looking toward the mess tent.

"Ha! Nice one," Roach chuckled then followed Ghost's gaze. "Thinking about heading over? Better make it quick, mate. Shep's not one for tardiness."

"Yeah, I'm just going to grab something and eat it during the briefing," Ghost said and started jogging toward the mess tent. "I'll see you there!" he called back.

"Grab me something, too!" Roach shouted.

Ghost gave a thumbs up over his shoulder in response.


	2. Chapter 2

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 2**

Ghost walked into the small briefing tent and saw Captain John Price, Soap, and Roach, along with General Shepherd.

"Guess I'm the last one to arrive," he thought. He took out the bagel from his pocket and stood near the entrance of the tent so he could eat without drawing attention to himself.

"Gentlemen," Shepherd began, "I have just received word this morning that one of our informants is being held captive in Koesterov, Russia."

Roach looked back at Ghost and mouthed, "Food." Ghost nodded and pulled a bagel out of his other pocket, tossing it to Roach.

Shepherd continued, "Code name Burden is being held in a house in the northwest part of this town. Your mission is to engage any hostiles and extract our informant out."

"That simple, eh?" Price said wryly.

Shepherd turned and pulled down the projection screen in front of him. Turning back, he walked over to the projector and switched it on. Displayed on the screen was a satellite image of Koesterov.

Ghost popped the rest of the bagel into his mouth, crossed his arms, and chewed while he analyzed the terrain and memorized structure positions.

"Code name Nikolai will meet you here," said Shepherd, pointing to a red "X" on the western outskirt of the town where a forest ended. "He will provide additional intel on enemy positions and fill you in on where the evac site will be. When you reach the rendezvous point, call out 'Whiskey'. The proper response from Nikolai will be 'Star'. Any questions."

"No, sir," the men responded.

"Report to the Fighting Bengal directly from this tent. You will find your gear already on the helicopter. Dismissed."

The four men saluted and exited the tent.

"Was it me, or did Shep seem even _more_ cold and distant than usual," Roach chirped, following the men to the helicopter.

"Must be one hell of an informant to get the general worried," replied Soap.

"Worried?" scoffed Roach. "If he ever had any emotion other than malice, I'd drop dead from a heart attack," he smirked.

Price grunted in agreement.

Eager to inspect and calibrate their equipment, the men jogged the rest of the way to the Fighting Bengal. After they all boarded the helicopter and put on their headsets (Ghost putting on his balaclava and sunglasses first), the pilot put the bird in the air and told them their ETA was 5 hours. Four duffle bags were on the deck of the chopper. The men each grabbed the one labeled with their last name and opened it to find a silenced M4A1 rifle (Price sighed in relief), silenced M9 pistol, ammo, regulation combat knife, bullet proof vest with pockets, night-vision goggles, wireless headset, and radio. Price additionally received a GPS and map of the area.

After they put on their gear and set the sights of their rifles, the men put their heads back in their seats and closed their eyes to rest.


	3. Chapter 3

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 3**

"We are approaching the drop point."

Ghost opened his eyes and saw everyone was awake and ready to go. The pilot put the helicopter down in an open field, next to a dense forest. The four men jumped out, running toward the cover of the forest, then stopped for Price's instructions.

"We're about two klicks west of the rendezvous point with Nikolai," said Price, consulting his GPS and map. "We need to continue east through this forest. Stay sharp. There could be some scattered patrols."

They made their way through the forest at an easy pace, sweeping the area for any movement. In 15 minutes they had reached the rendezvous point. Price whispered loudly, "Whiskey."

"Star," came a response from behind them.

The men turned around and watched as a figure rose from the ground. Nikolai was wearing a ghillie suit which made him nearly impossible to see unless they had stepped right on him.

"My friends," greeted Nikolai.

"It's bloody good to see you again, Nikolai," said Price.

"This reunion must be short-lived, I'm afraid," stated Nikolai. "We have only 15 minutes before the sun comes up and you need to take advantage of the long Russian night for my plan."

"We're listening," said Soap.

Nikolai pulled out a map and motioned for them to gather around it.

"Patrols are set up here and here," he said, motioning to the perimeter of the target house and pointing to a road leading up to it. "There is also a house which the enemy uses to sleep, here. I have counted around 23 men total. Around 11 are on patrol now and the rest are sleeping."

Nikolai continued, "There is a circuit box on the right side of the target house. Which one of you is Ghost, the technical specialist?" directing the question at Ghost and Roach.

Ghost raised a finger.

Looking back at the map, Nikolai said, "You are to cut the power. All of you will then switch on your night vision goggles and take out any hostiles inside. Your informant will be in one of the rooms on the second floor so place your shots carefully."

Pointing to a field behind the target house, Nikolai said, "This is the evac site. Your ride will arrive in," he looked at his watch, "12 minutes." He stuffed his map back into his pocket. Starting to walk away, Nikolai called back, "Good luck, my friends. I will see you at the evac site."

Price turned to his men.

"Soap, Ghost. You two will secure the informant while Roach and I make sure the evac site is secure after the bottom floor of the house is clear."

Soap, Ghost, and Roach nodded in response.

"Let's go. Stay low and quiet," said Price.

After following the tree line north, they soon were in view of the houses Nikolai pointed out. Taking cover inside an abandoned house next to the main road, the men were able to see Nikolai's intel on the location of the patrols was accurate.

"There's a two man patrol heading toward our position," Price said quietly. "Roach, take the one on the right. I'll take the left. On my mark. 3...2...1... mark."

_Fft. Fft._

"Goodnight," Price said. "Common, we're going to make sure their barrack is clear. Things are about to get loud real fast."

Crouching low to avoid detection, the men exited the house and crossed the street one by one. Using the cover of some scattered trees, they made their way up the street until they were right outside the barrack.

Price told his men through hand signals he was going to throw a flash bang through the door then they were to charge in, shooting the stunned hostiles.

"Let the games begin," Ghost smiled.


	4. Chapter 4

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 4**

Lindsey "Burden" Lovat woke to the sound of combat. Unable to see out of her badly beaten eyes, all she could do was listen as she lie with her hands and legs bound behind her on the floor. Hearing someone running up the stairs toward her, she quickly went limp, feigning unconsciousness.

"_POD'YOM!_ WAKE UP!" roared the man whose voice she recognized as Vladimir Plavchenki, the leader in her interrogations.

"Fuck…you," she said through gritted teeth.

Plavchenki kicked her in the stomach, knocking the breath out of her. He then picked her up and threw her into the nearest wall.

"You, my dear, have been a hard one to break, but you will break NOW!" he stormed.

Gulping for breath, Burden smiled. Plavchenki walked over and crouched, grabbing a fistful of her light brown hair to yank her face to his.

"And what is so amusing, if I may ask," he tightly said inches from her swollen face.

"I'm assuming... that the fear I hear... in your voice has... something to do with the... firefight that's getting closer... as we speak," she said between gasps. When Plavchenki said nothing, she continued, "After all... the _SHIT_... you did to me... you think... I'm going to break _now_... from that little nudge... and push?"

"ENOUGH AMERICAN!" Plavchenki yelled as he slammed her head to the floor, releasing it to stand up. "You will tell me what I need to know, or I will take your life. Your choice!"

Burden could hear him take a step back, then the click of a pistol's safety begin switched off.

"No," Burden said, "just... let me... catch my breath." She could hear the firefight was rapidly moving toward the house. "I'll buy you guys time," she thought.

After a few seconds Burden was able to breathe normally again. She sighed, trying to sound defeated and said, "Alright. What do you want to know?"

Plavchenki sneered, "That's more like it _sobaka_. Heel to your master. You have finally realized that your cooperation will let you keep your worthless life."

"Keep it up, you fucker," Burden thought, "These little speeches are giving the guys outside time to take a nap if they wanted."

Plavchenki continued, "All you American dogs are the same. You feign arrogance and pretend you do not care about…"

"It got quiet outside," Burden thought, not paying attention to him. "What the hell's happening?"

"…given the chance to save yourself, you take it. Pitiful. Disgusting. No love for your country. All of you merely mercenaries eager for hire! I - _Chyort!_" Prevchenki broke off sharply.

Burden could hear him move towards the door and close it.

_Fft. Fft. Fft._

"Were those…suppressed shots?" Burden wondered aloud.

"_Zatknis'!_ Shut up!" hissed Prevchenki.

Burden could hear movement through the floor. "Hopefully they're on my side," she thought.

Burden listened and estimated there were three to five of the assailants. Tracking their hushed footsteps and suppressed gunshots, she could hear them approaching the base of the stairs.

"Get me out of here," she pleaded silently.


	5. Chapter 5

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 5**

Price motioned for Soap and Ghost to continue up the stairs. It was time to split up. He and Roach exited through to back door to secure the evac site.

Soap and Ghost made their way up the stairs, making sure to listen and watch for movement. Soap paused at the top and saw a hostile groping around in the dark. Taking him down in a single shot, he quietly said, "These night vision goggles make it too easy."

"Too right, mate," Ghost replied.

Two rooms were left to clear.

"Nikolai said our informant is in one of these rooms," Ghost told Soap in a low voice.

"Right, mate. Take the room on the left. I'll take the right."

Ghost went to the left door and pressed his ear to it.

"Someone is definitely in there," he determined after a moment. Taking a deep breath, he slammed the door open hard, causing someone to grunt in pain. An unaimed shot was fired from the hostile's pistol into the ceiling. Quickly swinging into the room on a crouch, Ghost fired 5 shots through the wooden door, heard a body slump to the floor, and called out, "Clear."

"Don't shoot," said a weak voice, causing him to whip around and point his weapon at the source.

"This room's clear!" Soap called out from across the hall.

Ghost slowly stood and whispered, "Shit." Lying in the corner was a bound and bloody…woman.

Soap walked into the room, looked at Ghost, then followed his gaze.

"Burden?" Soap asked, clearly surprised.

"Yeah," the woman said sounding relieved.

Ghost snapped out of his stunned state and unsheathed his combat knife to cut off the rope binding her.

"Price, we have the informant," Soap said into his radio.

Carefully turning Burden over to expose her binds, Ghost quickly sliced through the rope.

"Roger that. We'll be there in 2 minutes," Soap replied into his radio. Directing his attention to Burden, he asked, "Can you walk?"

"Can't feel my legs. I need to be carried," Burden said tiredly.

"I'll do it," Ghost volunteered. He bent down and picked her up under her arms and knees. "Do you have anything we need to bring?" Ghost asked as he looked down at her.

Burden replied drowsily, "Sent intel before captured…my rifle… is in the next room."

"We'll make sure to get it," Ghost said.

"Thank... you," she mumbled before going limp in Ghost's arms.

Ghost tightened his hold and looked her over.

"Don't worry, mate," Soap said after checking her pulse. "Poor lass just passed out." He made his way into the room across the hall and called to Ghost, "If the rifle in this room is hers, then she's packing some serious heat." After a moment he returned with an Intervention bolt-action sniper rifle.

Ghost whistled low.

"Beauty, ain't she?" Soap said admiringly before slinging it over his shoulder. "Right, let's get out of here, Ghost."


	6. Chapter 6

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 6**

"I'm fine!" Burden insisted to the corpsman as she put on her sunglasses and struggled to get out of her sick bed in the medical tent at Camp Sierra.

"Corporal Lindsey Lovat, you have 3 bruised ribs and a concussion. You are not fine!" shouted Corpsman Sarah "Ronny" Ronald. "Get your ass back into that bed, or I swear I will sedate and restrain you!"

"Woah there, Ronny! Don't be so dramatic! I'm getting back in," Burden said while clambering back into bed, making a show of putting her sunglasses back on her head.

Ronny sighed after a moment, "You know I'm just looking out for you, right?"

"I know, I know. I just feel so damn restless in this bed. I need to _do _something!" complained Burden.

"One more week, Lovat. Just one more week and your ribs and concussion will be fully healed," Ronny stared at Burden before starting softly, "So-"

"Oh no, no, no. Don't get all therapist on me now, Ronny. There's nothing to talk about," Burden frowned indignantly.

"Lovat, I'm asking as your best friend. Common, you were MIA for 2 weeks and you came back looking like the Elephant Man. You can't say that _nothing_ happened over there," Ronny replied.

Burden shrugged and said, "The last couple days are…fuzzy. Bits and pieces, but nothing I can be sure of."

"Yeah, but you remember the 12 days before that," Ronny pointed out.

Burden sighed and said, "It just… I feel... I don't want to talk about it, yet," she finished lamely.

"Alright, Lovat. When you're ready, you know where to find me," Ronny said then walked away to continue her rounds.

Burden watched as the men in the medical tent averted their gaze from Ronny when she turned around, acting as though they hadn't been staring at her for the past couple minutes when she had been distracted by Burden's attempt to flee.

"Who can blame them?" thought Burden. "She's tall, blonde, and has big boobs. Every man's wet dream." Burden then thought about her own looks. "Average height, medium build, light brown hair, and brown eyes… I wouldn't say I'm _un_attractive, but I'm no Ronny."

Burden sighed, leaning back in her bed. For the 3 weeks she was back at the base, she'd been trying to repress the memories from being a POW and didn't want to talk about it. Ever. "Not even to Ronny," she thought, her eyes haunted.

Snapping out of her thoughts, Burden looked and saw Ronny's back was turned. She quietly slid off the side of her bed, put on her aviators, and quickly ran out of the tent, heading for the shooting range. "First stop," she thought, "Munitions tent."

Stepping into the tent she said, "M14 EBR with 11 mags." to the weapons handler. While he went to get her sniper rifle and ammo, Burden grabbed the sign-in sheet and signed her name for the second spot in the expert long-distance range, noting that the first spot was taken. The man came back with protective ear wear and her equipment in a duffle bag. "Thanks," she said taking the ear wear and putting it around her neck. She then took the duffle bag and swung it over her shoulder. Burden exited the tent, jogging toward Range 5 aka "The Black Hole" (properly named because it was impossible to see where an inaccurate shot landed.) When the range was in her view, she could make out the figure of a man standing at the first station. "Must have just gotten here or he's leaving," she silently observed while passing him, making her way to the second station which was 25 meters from the first.

Unzipping the duffel bag, Burden took out the ammo and set it on the ground. She then took out the rifle and began setting her sights. Looking over at the man when she finished, she noticed he had just finished doing the same. "Guess it was the former," she mumbled. Putting her rifle down, she turned back to the range and studied it.

There were eleven targets total, ranging from 500 to 1,000 meters as well as differing inclines. Seven were placed behind the cover of large rocks, with only a small portion of the target showing and three were placed in the open. The last target, at 1,000 meters, was the hardest to hit and the most infamous. Nicknamed "The Donut", it consisted of a large rock with a one foot diameter hole in the center. The only way to shoot the target behind the rock was to shoot through that hole.

"If I convert the meters into yards, then divide by twelve…" Burden mumbled to herself as she did the math. "It's like trying to shoot through a 1 inch hole at 80 meters," she said softly in awe while shaking her head. Picking up the empty duffle bag, she knelt, flattened the duffle bag on the ground, then gingerly eased herself onto it. She then grabbed her rifle and loaded it. Once she was in a comfortable prone shooting position, she put on the protective ear wear, closed her eyes, and began to take slow, even breaths. Opening her eyes, she found the closest target through her scope, and began.


	7. Chapter 7

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 7**

Ghost turned his head when he caught movement from the corner of his eye. Lifting his sunglasses from his dark blue eyes, he watched a woman jog to the second station. Letting his sunglasses drop back to his straight nose and repositioning his protective ear wear, he went back to setting the sights on his M14 EBR. Every once in a while he would see from the corner of his eye that the woman would occasionally glance at him and mumble under her breath.

"Wonder if she likes what she sees," Ghost smiled to himself. At 6'1 and weighing 220 lbs with low body fat, he was used to the attention he received from women. "And _men_ for that matter," Ghost chuckled to himself. Having finished setting his sights, he went into a comfortable prone position, then looked through the scope of his unloaded rifle. Ignoring "The Donut", (knowing that M14 EBR's are only accurate up to around 730 meters) he scanned the range, then set his sights on the first target which was at 500 meters.

_PANG!_

Ghost watched as it received a hole through its t-zone (which spans from the forehead to chin.) Raising an eyebrow, he thought, "Girlie knows what she's doing." Loading his rifle, Ghost scanned the range until he found the second target which was behind a rock at 530 meters, then looked through his scope to zero-in. While controlling his breathing, Ghost slowly squeezed the trigger.

_PANG!_

"Perfect," Ghost smiled to himself then quickly zeroed-in and fired at the third target which was in the open at 585 meters.

_PANG PANG!_

The woman and Ghost had fired almost simultaneously, both hitting the target in its t-zone. Ghost looked over at her and saw she was looking at him as well. The woman smirked and raised an eyebrow, then nodded her head toward the range in a silent challenge. Ghost's eyes glinted at the challenge and he nodded once in response.

"Let's do this," he thought, turning back to the range.


	8. Chapter 8

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 8**

Burden was glad the man had accepted her challenge. Target practice could get monotonous and she wanted to entertain herself as much as she could before Ronny realized she was missing.

"She's probably going to follow through on her threats of drugging and restraining me, now," Burden thought with a grin. Looking over at her competition, she could tell by the way his brow was furrowed, he was concentrating hard on zeroing-in on a target. Satisfied to see he was taking her challenge seriously, she wiped the sweat from her own brow and leaned into her rifle, then looked through the scope. Finding the fourth target at 610 meters, she took a couple minutes zeroing-in. While controlling her breathing, she slowly began to squeeze the trigger and-

_PANG!_

"Damn!" she thought as she saw the man's shot connect to the target's cardboard head. Deciding to skip the fifth target, she took a couple minutes zeroing-in on the sixth at 650 meters, then fired.

_PANG PANG!_

Burden's eyes widened in surprise as she saw her and the man's shots connect with the same target's t-zone.

"Mine hit first!" she shouted.

"I don't think so!" the man shouted back.

Noticing his accent, she shouted, "I guess it's the 'shot heard 'round the range', then!" Referring to the mysterious shot fired at Lexington and Concord. Hearing the man laugh appreciatively at her joke, she noted that she liked the sound of it. "He has one of those laughs that makes me want to join in," she thought.

Burden was about to zero-in on the seventh target when she caught movement from the corner of her eye. She picked her head up from the scope, looked to her left, and saw Ronny running toward her. Closing her eyes and groaning, Burden let her head fall to her arm. When the corpsman loomed over her moments later, Burden, while unloading her rifle, looked up at the panting Ronny, and said, "You never let me have any fun, Mom!"

"If I were your mom, I'd have been dead from an ulcer the moment you learned how to talk. Now pack your equipment. We're going back to the med tent," responded a clearly fatigued Ronny.

Burden gingerly pushed herself off the duffel bag, grabbed it, and slowly stood up. After shaking the dust on the duffel bag off, she packed her rifle, ear protection, and magazines, then zipped it up.

Ronny took the duffle bag and began to make her way back to the med tent with Burden following. "I don't understand why you can't use common sense. You only have one more week-"

Burden wasn't paying attention to what Ronny was saying, instead looking ahead to where the man was, noticing he was standing with his back to the range, his feet planted wide. She watched as he looked at the ground, pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head, and crossed his arms. When Burden was just about to pass him, he brought his head up and met her gaze. The intensity in his dark blue eyes startled her, causing her to stumble over a small rock.

"LOVAT! ARE YOU PAYING ATTENTION?" Ronny shouted in her ear. Burden snapped her head around and playfully shoved her, replying, "Of course!"

"No, you're not," Ronny said trying to sound hurt while stifling a grin.

Burden put her left arm around Ronny's shoulders while they walked and said, "I love that you get me."

Ronny looked into her friend's laughing brown eyes and said, "Lovat, I don't think that I will _ever_ 'get' you. Now stop dragging your feet and get a move on!"

Burden laughed, matched Ronny's speed, and let her arm drop from her friend's shoulders. Burden then looked behind her to see the man was intensely watching her. Feeling her face heat up, she turned her head forward, looked down, frowned at her reaction, and thought, "What the _fuck_ is wrong with me."

Burden didn't need to turn around again to know that he was still watching her.


	9. Chapter 9

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 9**

After she was out of sight, Ghost put his sunglasses back on and turned to his equipment.

"So, her name's Lovat," he thought, bending over to pick up his duffle bag. Pausing midway, Ghost straightened when he realized why the name sounded familiar. "Lovat. As in Lovat's Scouts. The first British Army sniper unit," he thought while shaking his head. Remembering that she was using a sniper rifle, Ghost mumbled, "How appropriate, then."

When his gear was packed, Ghost walked to the munitions tent and left the duffle bag with the weapons handler. Exiting the tent, he stopped and observed the base, as was sometimes his custom.

Camp Sierra was a relatively new Middle Eastern base with only 100 men and women stationed on it at a time. It was occasionally used by pilots passing by who needed to refuel their small aircrafts, but more often than not, they would instead go to the much larger Camp Foxtrot 200 miles southeast.

Ghost looked in front of him and saw men and women maintaining and repairing the five Cobra helicopters about 100 yards from the munitions tent. Looking left, next to the munitions tent was the briefing tent, then the mess tent, the med tent, and lastly, the showers. These main structures were spaced 6 feet apart from each other, the tents each being 1,250 square feet. Around 15 feet further from the showers were the living quarters which were 50 small tents, each housing 2 servicemen. The entrances of the tents faced Ghost. Looking to his right, Ghost could see Range 1 of the five shooting ranges, its targets facing him. Were he to walk toward that range, Range 2 would be to its right, Range 3 to the right of Range 2, and etc.

Looking back at the med tent, Ghost started walking in its direction. Stopping suddenly, he frowned, looked down, and thought, "What am I doing?"

"Ghost!"

Ghost looked up to see Soap walking toward him.

"All right, mate?" Ghost asked when Soap had reached him.

"I was about to ask you the same thing," Soap replied, looking pointedly at Ghost's frown.

Ghost let his face relax, looked over at the med tent and said, "It's nothing. Just forgot where I was going."

Soap crossed his arms and stared at Ghost. After a moment he said, "Right."

Ghost knew that Soap detected he was lying so he quickly changed the subject by asking, "So, what did you find me for?"

Soap stared at Ghost a moment longer, knowing that he was changing the subject, but dropped the topic anyway. Uncrossing his arms, he said, "Roach and I were about to light up stogies and play a couple hands of poker in our tent. Was wondering if you'd like to join us."

"I'm always ready to take money from Roach," Ghost replied smiling. "Lead the way."

The men made their way through Camp Sierra toward the living quarters, their long strides punctuated by the sound of the crunching dirt beneath their boots. They passed the briefing tent, then the mess tent, and were about to pass the med tent. Ghost slowed down in order to look through the open tent flaps while he passed it. "To catch a glimpse of what. Her ankle?" he thought, disgusted with himself.

"You coming or what?" Soap called out, having stopped when he noticed the increased distance between them. Ghost quickly caught up with him and they started toward the living quarters again. Once they were outside of Soap and Roach's tent, Soap grabbed the tent flaps and tied them open. Ghost walked in and saw Roach was busy clipping the cigars.

"Nice set up," Ghost said, noticing they had a fold-out table with four chairs around it. "Who's the fourth?" he asked when he saw the extra chair.

Soap looked sheepish as he said, "Aye, about that…"

"So. Ready to lose your next paycheck, gentlemen?" Price said rubbing his hands while walking into the tent. Ghost groaned, looked over at Soap and said, "You pissed yourself, mate?" Then looked over at the now-seated Price and said, "I already owe you my first child, Price. I was going to win some money off Roach-"

"Hey!" Roach exclaimed.

Ghost continued, "but now that you're here…"

Price folded his arms, smirked, and said, "Thought you'd be used to it by now."

"Maybe I'm a masochist," Ghost replied, pulling out the chair facing the tent opening then plopping himself in it. Roach passed out the cigars and took the seat across from Ghost. Soap sat down, reached in his pocket, pulled out a deck of cards, and started shuffling.

"Texas Hold 'Em, mates," Soap said then dealt them each two cards face-down. Price pulled out a butane lighter and lit his cigar, then put it on the table for the men to use. After all the cigars were lit, the men looked at their cards.

Ghost had a two seven offsuit. "Need a better hand than this if I'm going to beat the old man," he thought. Flicking the cards to the center of the table, he said, "I'm out." Taking a drag from his cigar while looking out of the parted tent flaps, Ghost saw a woman quickly walk out of the med tent. He jumped out of his chair, causing the men to look up at him in surprise. Looking at the table, he said, "I'll be right back," then ran out of the tent toward the mess where Lovat had just entered.


	10. Chapter 10

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 10**

"Sooooo HUNGRYYYY," Burden thought as she made her way to the buffet line. The mess was busy since it was nearing sundown so she had to take her place in the back of the long line. Glancing back at the tent's entrance to see if Ronny had followed her, Burden saw the man from the range walk in. He put his sunglasses on the collar of his shirt and scanned the room. Feeling her face heat up, she quickly faced front and glowered at the back of the person's head in front of her. "This can't be happening so soon. I won't let it," she thought unnervingly. Curiosity getting the better of her, she slowly turned her head around to see where he went and found herself staring at a broad male chest, inches from her nose. Looking up, she saw that the man was frowning down at her.

"Ahh, umm. Is something wrong?" she asked, stammering slightly. Instead of responding, he gave her a once over, slowly looking her up and down. Burden felt herself start to panic. "STOP THAT!" she shouted. The man's dark blue eyes flicked up and met hers.

"I'm just wondering why I ran here to see you," he replied in an observant tone.

"You ran in here. To see me." she said, incredulous.

He said almost to himself, "You're not the most attractive woman here and yet I find myself drawn to you. Why is that?" he asked accusingly.

"Oh, I don't know!" she replied irritably and threw up her hands while turning back around. Seeing that the line was long gone, she quickly walked over to the buffet table, grabbed a plate and fork, then brutally stabbed a large piece of chicken and put it on her plate. She then walked over to the mashed potatoes and got a huge scoop, slapping it on top of the chicken. Burden turned around and scanned the room for an empty seat. Seeing one in the center, near the entrance of the tent, she made her way to it. She set her plate down on the table, sat, and began shoveling the mashed potatoes into her mouth with her fork. The man sat across from her a moment later.

Feeling him staring at her, she asked tiredly after she swallowed, "What do you _want_?"

"No idea," he responded.

She looked up, stared back at him, then sighed and said, "Well, we might as well introduce ourselves. I'm Corporal Lindsey Lovat. And you are…?"

"Lieutenant Simon Riley. You can call me Ghost."

"Ghost, huh?" she said between mouthfuls of mashed potatoes.

"Yeah," he said starting to eat his pasta.

"So what is this about you following me in here?" she asked, then took a bite out of her chicken.

Ghost chewed for a while, swallowed, and said, "I was rude before when I said you were unattractive."

Burden frowned, pointed her fork at him, and said, "You didn't say that. You said I'm 'not the most attractive woman here' which I completely agree with. But, if you're now saying that I'm _un_attractive, well, _that_ I _don't_ agree with. Look. Look at these cheekbones," she said while tilting her head up at an angle. "Friends have told me they would _die_ to have such a facial structure."

Ghost smiled at her response and watched as Burden went back to shoveling mashed potatoes into her mouth.

"Don't think I've forgotten you haven't answered my question, Ghost. I-" Burden stopped, put her fork down, and frowned.

"Something wrong?" Ghost asked, studying her. Burden looked at him, got up, then sprinted out of the mess tent while clutching her stomach. She reached outside, went to the side of the tent, doubled over, and violently threw up on the ground. Still doubled over, she felt someone hold her hair back. Burden was going to thank them when another wave of nausea hit her. When her stomach was completely emptied of the food she ingested, she wiped her mouth, closed her eyes, and said, "Thanks, Ghost."

"Who the hell is Ghost?"

Burden's eyes flew open as she slowly straightened up, then turned around to see Ronny.

"Ronny?" Burden said, surprised.

"Yeah, Ronny," the corpsman replied. "So I see that your concussion didn't like that you were up and about either," Ronny said while looking pointedly at the throw up. "Or the mashed potatoes, for that matter." Looking back at Burden, she asked, "So how do your ribs feel after that vomit-fest?"

Burden winced and said, "Like shit."

"Good," Ronny said, looking satisfied. "Maybe now you'll listen to me when I tell you you're not invincible. Back to bed." Burden was only too happy to comply, feeling all her strength had been sapped.

"I'm just glad Ghost didn't witness that disgusting debacle," she thought with a touch of relief, then made her way with Ronny to the medical tent. Once inside, she found her bed and slowly eased herself onto it, still feeling a little woozy. Lying back, she closed her eyes and promptly went to sleep.


	11. Chapter 11

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 11**

Ghost had started to follow Lovat out of the tent when General Shepherd intercepted him at the entrance.

"Briefing tomorrow at 0500, Ghost. No need to remind you that this is classified. The personnel on this base don't know you or your fellow squad mates are One-Four-One's and let's continue to keep it that way," Shepherd said in a low voice.

"Yes, sir," Ghost replied. Shepherd nodded once and walked out.

Ghost went outside and briefly looked around for Lovat. Seeing no sign of her, he made up his mind to head back to the poker game. When he walked in, he saw Price, Soap, and Roach talking low to each other. Noticing a presence, they looked up at him.

"Shepherd find you?" Soap asked.

"Yeah. What were you blokes talking about when I walked in?" Ghost asked.

Soap motioned for Ghost to take a seat. When Ghost sat down, Soap said, "You weren't told everything if you're wondering what we're talking about. We're getting an FNG in a week's time." Ghost raised his eyebrows at the news.

"It was going to happen eventually," said Roach. "With Meat and Royce out of the picture, we need bodies."

"This new squad member is going to get one hell of a wake up call if they can't pull their weight," Price said gruffly.

"Right," Soap said, standing up, "we'll worry about it when it happens. See you in the morning, lads."

Ghost went into his own tent and closed the flaps. While taking off his boots and utilities, he thought, "Wonder where the new guy's being pulled from." He then walked over to his cot in his briefs and felt under his pillow to see if his switchblade was still there. Feeling the cool metal, he withdrew his hand and laid down. Ghost closed his eyes, took a deep breath, held it, and counted to twenty. Feeling himself relax, Ghost let his breath out slowly. He then let himself briefly think about Lovat before falling asleep.


	12. Chapter 12

_Disclaimer: I do not own Call of Duty which belongs to Activision, Infinity Ward, and Treyarch._

**Chapter 12**

"_NOOOOO!_" Burden shrieked while fighting the air. A corpsman on the night shift quickly went over to the sleeping corporal. He tried to get her to stop flailing, but that only made Burden fight harder, punching him in the face.

"Corporal!" the man shouted while trying to pin her down, dodging her kicks and punches. "CORPORAL YOU'RE SAFE!" he shouted even louder when she didn't wake.

Burden's eyes flew open. She blinked at the older corpsman, then sat up in her bed, feeling the terror slowly subside in her chest. Feeling damp, she furrowed her brow and looked at the crotch of her pants. "I pissed myself, Jim," she whispered, feeling humiliated.

"And are soaked in sweat," Jim observed. "You're not the first to wet yourself, Lovat, so don't feel embarrassed. Go over to the supplies closet and grab yourself a towel and shower slippers then head over to the showers while I change your sheets," Jim instructed. "When you come back, grab new utilities out of the closet and change into them." He hesitated, then asked, "Should I get your female friend?"

Burden slipped off the bed and replied softly, "I already told you that Ronny doesn't need to know about this," then made her way to the back of the medical tent where the supplies closet was, walking awkwardly to prevent her upper thighs from rubbing against the wet fabric. At the closet, she took off her socks and put on shower slippers. She then stepped out of her wet clothes, threw them into a waste bin and grabbed a towel, wrapping it around her.

Burden made her way to the showers. Once inside, she went into an individual stall, closed the curtain, and hung her towel on the curtain rod. Burden turned on the water and sharply sucked in a breath when the cold water shot out. She pumped soap out of the dispenser under the showerhead and lathered it over her toned body. When she finished rinsing the soap off, she turned off the shower and dried herself with the towel. She then wrapped it around her and made her way back to the medical tent.

"Feeling better?" Jim asked when he saw Burden enter the tent.

"Much," she replied, and made her way to the supplies closet. She grabbed the clothing she needed, dressed, and went over to her freshly-made bed.

"Thanks, Jim," she said, looking at him fully for the first time. Noticing a forming bruise on his face, Burden said, "I hit you."

Jim rubbed the sore spot and said, "Bad news is your night terrors are getting worse. Good news is that your right hook has improved."

Burden sighed, looked down at her feet and said, "I appreciate your trying to lighten the mood, but I actually _hit_ you."

Jim shrugged and said, "Comes with the job." He then looked at her with concern and said, "You need to see the base's psychiatrist, Lovat. There's a reason behind the night terrors and you need to confront it."

Burden sighed and said, "I know."

Jim watched her for a moment longer then asked, "Do you need something to help you sleep tonight?"

Burden looked into his kind brown eyes, smiled sadly and said, "That would be nice."

"Lie back down while I get your sedative," he instructed. When Burden was lying in her bed again, Jim went to the supplies locker, put on gloves, and ripped open a sterile medical pack, taking out the syringe. He then took out a vial of benzodiazepine, filling the syringe with Burden's dose. Closing the locker with a forearm, Jim then made his way back to Burden. He lifted her left t-shirt sleeve and injected the sedative into her shoulder.

"You should fall asleep in a couple seconds," he said, removing the needle from her shoulder.

Burden looked up at him and slurred, "Thanks," before falling into a mercifully dreamless sleep.


End file.
